Newsletter November/December 2011
November/December 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 10
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Highlight
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2012 Course Schedule
The GCSP 2012 Course Schedule is now available on the GCSP website. Please check back regularly for updates. It presents all the GCSP training courses that will take place over the course of the year.
GCSP Expert Training Modules will be open to the public throughout the year, beginning with a series of one-day modules from 27 February to 2 March 2012 on:
For full details on these modules and to register please visit the GCSP website.
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News
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Missile Defence Seminar
Missile defence is increasingly on the political agenda. It is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, especially as the US develops its "Phased Adaptive Approach" to missile defence and NATO progresses with its missile defence systems. The sensitivity of the issue is currently visible in the international media, as NATO and Russia gauge how they might collaborate on a future missile shield. Disagreements between the US and Russia on how to move forward could have wide ranging implications, including on the goal of "resetting" U.S.-Russian relations. With this in mind, the GCSP is organising a one-day seminar on missile defence to be held on 9 December in Geneva. With the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, this event will bring together senior officials with insights into the negotiations from the United States, Russia, and NATO. Additional attendees include officials and academics from European countries. Participation is by invitation only. Entitled "Developments and Implications of Missile Defence", the main aim of the seminar is to: - Identify recent developments in missile defence initiatives;
- Assess the potential consequences of missile defence on regional and global security trends;
- Evaluate the possible impact of missile defence developments on existing and future disarmament activities, including unintended consequences; and,
- Identify key issues that policymakers should be aware of as missile defence evolves.
India Joins the GCSP Foundation Council On 29 November 2011, the GCSP welcomed India to its Foundation Council. This was a unanimous decision taken at the biannual Council meeting. India becomes the 43rd member state, the Canton of Geneva is also a member. India is the second Asian country to join, following the adhesion of China in 2010. The GCSP was established in 1995 by 11 founding member states. The managed growth of the GCSP Foundation Council beyond the Euro-Atlantic area is a reflection of the global reach of the Centre's activities and increasingly diverse course participation. A full list of members is available at here.
New GCSP Programme - The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) The GCSP is pleased to announce the creation of a new programme on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), to be led by Professor Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou. This new programme will bring together all existing GCSP activities on the MENA and work to expand our partnerships in the region. It will be active in professional training, policy-oriented research and in fostering dialogue. Professor Mohamedou is a widely respected scholar, formerly of Harvard University, who frequently contributes in his fields of interest in the media. Professor Mohamedou is also a Visiting Professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.
GCSP Advisory Board Member Jan Kubis selected as UN envoy to Afghanistan On 23 November 2011, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that Mr Jan Kubis, a senior UN official, former Slovakian foreign minister and member of the GCSP Advisory Board, would serve as the next UN envoy to Afghanistan as of 1 January 2012. Mr Kubis succeeds Staffan de Mistura as Mr Ban's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Mr Kubis has been Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) since 2009, and previously served with the UN in the late 1990s as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Tajikistan and head of the UN mission of observers to that Central Asian country. >>More
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Training
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Upcoming Courses
12-16 December: Weapons Law and the Conduct of the Legal Review of Weapons Course. This course has been designed to provide military lawyers and other officials, either currently involved or likely to be involved in legal reviews, with the necessary detailed understanding of the law to ensure their states' compliance with the law. The GCSP is unique globally in providing such a course and this event in Geneva. It will signal the beginning of a process of legal education that will subsequently be offered both in Geneva and elsewhere, as required. The course is being funded by the Swiss Government and is supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by the International Institute for Humanitarian Law (Sanremo, Italy).
10 January - 23 March 2012: 16th European Training Course in Security Policy (ETC). The ETC curriculum is designed to train professionals who serve in the broad area of security policy and who interact with international agencies involved in security-related political and military decision-making. The curriculum includes several sessions specifically designed for participants who are earmarked as future Defence Attachés.
27 February - 2 March: 8th Defence Attaché Orientation Module. This Annual Training Module trains defence officials working in a multilateral environment (such as Defence Attachés). The module develops a link between international security policy and the practical responsibilites of a Defence Attaché.
27 February: European Multilateral Arms Control. This training module offers an introduction to arms control generally followed by an analysis of the post-Cold War evolution of Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) and other instruments of European arms control from perceived major significance to the current stalemate and irrelevance. It connects the evolution of European politics since 1990 with its effect on arms control, with an emphasis on relations between the West and Russia.
27 February: Humanitarian Arms Control. Since the end of the Cold War the focus of bilateral and multilateral arms control moved to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles and also to wepons that actually kill or cause unnecessary suffering. Landmines, cluster munitions and small arms and light weapons have appeared on the agenda. Small arms and light weapons present a host of problems. A general ban is unimagineable while societies are littered by such illegally held weapons. These areas have a major bearing upon internal and international conflict. Without their study our understanding of international security cannot be comprehensive.
29 February: "Diplomacy 2.0" - International System and the Transformation of Diplomacy. This training module has three main objectives: first, to increase the understanding of the contemporary context of foreign policy and diplomacy by an analysis of the changing international system; second, to focus on particular key characteristics leading the change, such as public and virtual diplomacy; and third, to provide a practitioner's view to contemporary multilateral diplomacy in the complex multi-stakeholder environment by drawing upon the expertise from the institutions of International Geneva.
1 March: Leadership for Peacebuilding. Participants in this training module will review a sample of countries engaged in peacebuilding - past and present. Based on this review they will identify the key factors that have contributed to the success or otherwise of post conflict peacebuilding in those countries with a special focus on the leadership dimension. They will also review and assess the mechanisms put in place by the international community to support the national post conflict leadership and peacebuilding effort.
2 March: Arms Transfers, Defence Industries & Agencies. Notwithstanding the strategic importance and the doomsday potential of weapons of mass destruction since the end of World War 2, wars have been waged quasi-exclusively with conventional arms. The weapons used in these wars are produced by defence industries traditionally located in the industrialised world, and increasingly in a number of emerging economies. The contenders in today's wars are nearly always reliant, at least to some extent (and, in many cases, to a major extent) on the acquisition of foreign-designed or produced weapons. Arms transfers, whether viewed from the standpoint of the importers or the exporters, are thus an essential component of the international military landscape.
2 March: The Law of the Sea and Maritime Security. The training module will introduce the legal framework that provides a backdrop to all activities at sea. The law of the sea governs the maritime environment during 'peacetime' while the laws of war applicable at sea provide the legal framework for what navies get up to in time of 'war'. What are the links between them and how are maritime operations regulated to take account of the realities of maritime security? What threats to peace and good order at sea need to be taken into account? What is the significance of coastal states' maritime zones of jurisdiction for security operations? Who has responsibility for maintaining order on the high seas - the only area of the globe that does not belong in any sense to states?
Past Courses
23-25 November: Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. Over three days, the GCSP and the Swiss Armed Forces jointly organised and held the 11th Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. The theme of this seminar was the "Western Pacific Area Situation" and gathered 26 participants, including ambassadors, generals, analysts and specialists from the Swiss Armed Forces and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Analysts from three other countries were also part of this seminar.
12-19 November: Training Course in Diplomacy and Security Policy for Military Personnel (in Amman). Training module for defence officials working in a multilateral environment from Jordan and other countries of the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD), Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), Partnership for Peace (PfP) and NATO. For the fifth time it was held in Amman as a joint project of the GCSP and the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, supported by the Swiss Confederation. The course was attended by 38 participants from 17 countries.
14-18 November: Global Challenges - Leadership and Cooperation in Complex Environments. This course is designed to connect senior leaders from armed forces and international organisations and focused on challenges in crosssector relationships and international humanitarian frameworks. It ran in partnership with the Global Public Policy Academic Group (GPPAG) of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
6-9 November: 3rd Senior Level Peacebuilding Training Course: Enhancing Leadership for Peacebuilding. This three-day course provided current and potential leaders an opportunity to enhance their understanding of effective peacebuilding and leadership styles. It brought together twenty-three senior level participants, civilian and military, from various countries, government ministries, international organisations, and civil society organisations. The course was organised jointly by the GCSP and Interpeace on behalf of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and with the support of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
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Events
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Upcoming Events
9 December: Seminar on "Developments and Implications of Missile Defence".
13-15 December: Contemporary Workshop on Rule of Law. This workshop will look at what role the military has in relation to Rule of Law activity drawing upon current operational experience whilst trying to define the range of activities the military understands to encompass its interest in re-establishing the Rule of Law. The context of both occupation under IHL and circumstances of Non-International Armed Conflict will be considered.
15 December: Public Discussion and Publication Launch: "Can you get sued? Legal Liability of international humanitarian aid agencies towards their staff", with Mr Edward P. Flaherty, US Attorney and Senior Partner at Schwab, Flaherty & Associés; Mr Edward Kemp, Barrister, 12 King's Bench Walk, London; Mr Christoph Meier, Legal Counsel at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva; Dr Maarten Merkelbach, Director of the Security Management Initiative at the GCSP and chaired by Dr Khalid Koser, Academic Dean and Head of the New Issues in Security Programme at the GCSP.
11 January 2012: Expert Meeting on "Security in a World Without Nuclear Weapons", organised by the GCSP and New York University's Centre on International Cooperation (CIC) in Geneva. The meeting will mark the launch of the project on "Security in a World Without Nuclear Weapons", which aims to better understand what would be the basis of security, particularly, the institutional arrangements necessary to prevent great power conflict in the post nuclear weapons world.
20 January: Seminar on Disarmament. As a run-up to the 2012 Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the 2015 Review Conference, this seminar will be the last of three one-day seminars organised in Geneva with international experts on each "pillar" of the NPT. The previous seminars covered peaceful uses of nuclear energy and non-proliferation.
Past Events
1 December: Official Visit of Swiss Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, visited the GCSP for a briefing on the Centre's latest activities and presentations on "Migration and Security" and "Organised Crime and Security" from GCSP faculty members.
29 November: Public Discussion "Armed Conflict in Libya: a NATO Perspective", with Mr James Bergeron, Political Adviser at the NATO Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters in Naples; Professor Steven Haines, Head of the Security and Law Programme at the GCSP, and chaired by Dr Khalid Koser, Academic Dean and Head of the New Issues in Security Programme at the GCSP.
25 November: Official Visit of H.E. Mr Nodar Kharshiladze, First Deputy Minister of Defence of Georgia and his delegation. The First Deputy-Minister of Defense of Georgia, H.E. Mr Nodar Kharshiladze, visited the GCSP on Friday, 25 November 2011, heading a nine-member delegation from the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. H.E. Mr Kharshiladze was received by the Director of GCSP, Ambassador Fred Tanner, for a meeting focused on the cooperation between the GCSP and Georgia, as well as regional developments.
21-25 November: The Senior Afghan Leaders Workshop. Held at the GCSP from 21 to 25 November 2011, explored the theme of "Lessons of Transition Experiences". Seeking to reflect the needs of Afghan ministries after the handover in January 2015, the workshop explored relevant experiences from the Arab Spring, sub-Saharan Africa, the Balkans and South Caucasus regions. The role of outside powers post-2014 was also a major element of discussion. The workshop is part of Switzerland's Partnership for Peace contribution to the NATO Enduring Partnership with Afghanistan, concluded in Lisbon on 14 April 2011. GCSP is grateful to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs for its support for the workshop.
11 November: Public Discussion: "Nuclear Disarmament, Security, and Safety: Remembering Japan and Global Challenges Ahead", with the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Mr Kazumi Matsui and Mr Tomihisa Taue; Mr Shigemi Hukahori, survivor of the Nagasaki bombings; Mr Teruo Nakamura, President of the Municipal Council of the Prefecture of Nagasaki; Ms Madeleine Rees, Secretary General of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; Professor Shunichi Yamashita, Adviser to the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture on Health Risk Management from Nuclear Radiation; Mr Rashid Khalikov, Director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Geneva and chaired by Mr Marc Finaud, Special Advisor to the Director at the GCSP.
10 November: VIP Luncheon with Dr Peter Maurer, State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Some 18 high-level participants took part in the event. The topics discussed included the challenges facing international Geneva, the position of Switzerland in today's world and the role of Swiss diplomacy in helping to solve international disputes.
9 November: Seminar on "The Western Balkans: Prospects for Stability and Security". This event was organised with the support of the Permanent Mission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Permanent Mission of Montenegro and brought together over fifty participants made up of officials, academics, and representatives of international organisations.
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Research and Publications
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New Publications
The GCSP is proud to present three new Geneva Papers and a Security Management Initiative (SMI) Policy Paper:
Geneva Paper - Conference Series N°23: "For a Renewed Consensus on UN Peacekeeping Operations", Edited by Thierry Tardy
Geneva Paper - Conference Series N°22: "The Role of Parliaments in Arms Control, Disarmament, and the Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)", Workshop Rapporteur: Marc Finaud
Geneva Paper - Conference Series N°21: "Reinforcing Disarmament: Combating Illicit Trade in Weapons and Materials", Workshops' Rapporteurs: Philipp Annawitt and Marc Finaud
SMI Policy Paper: "Can you get sued? Legal Liability of International Humanitarian Aid Workers towards Their Staff", by Edward Kemp and Maarten Merkelbach
All Policy Papers and Geneva Papers are available for download on the GCSP website. If you would like a hardcopy of a Geneva Paper, please contact us at publications@gcsp.ch. |
Alumni
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GCSP Alumnus Profile Ambassador Renatas NorkusPermanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Chairperson of the Permanent Council of the OSCE, Vienna Testimonial
"The memories of being part of such an exciting community and being surrounded by one of the brightest minds in the field of defence and security still seem like yesterday. My time at GCSP (ITC 1993-94) was one of the highlights of my career which enriched my thoughts and guided me on the right professional path. As a result, I have been able to use the knowledge gained to the benefit of my country. This year Lithuania is holding the Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) where I, as a Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the OSCE and a Chairperson of the Permanent Council, have to deal with challenging situations on a daily basis. It goes without saying that I would be delighted to visit the GCSP in whatever capacity it may find appropriate to share our experience of the Chairmanship after Lithuania finishes this function at the end of 2011".
- Renatas Norkus
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